Getting Started
Page 3-5
AM-6060 Computer Owner's Manual, Rev. 00
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When your computer boots from the first hard drive (the usual state of affairs), the hard drive
would be referenced as three disk devices named DSK0:, DSK1:, and DSK2:. The second drive
would be called, for example, SEC0:, SEC1:, and so on through SEC5:.
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If you change the CMOS settings to boot from the second disk drive, it is now called DSK0:
through DSK5:, while the “first” drive might be called FIR0:, FIR1:, and FIR2:.
Remember, this is only an example. Your computer may have a different number of physical disk drives,
and may refer to each physical drive as more or fewer devices. To see a list of the disk devices on your
computer, type SYSTAT and press
RETURN
; the end of the display lists the available disks. DEVTBL can
show you the relationship between physical devices and logical drives.
If you ever want to change the number of logical devices on a disk drive, see the document "Configuring
Winchester Disk Drivers" in the AMOS System Operator's Guide, and follow the FIXLOG reference
sheet in the AMOS System Commands Reference Manual.
The System Disk
The System Disk, DSK0:, is where the system software is stored, and where the computer looks for it
when the computer boots.
If you have a magnetic tape drive included with your computer, you also have the option of booting from
this device if you are unable to boot from your hard drive. Booting from a tape medium is known as a
"warm boot," and is usually reserved for special circumstances when it's not possible to boot from your
normal System Disk on the hard drive. In such a case, the streamer device is not called DSK0: after the
warm boot. Instead, the warm boot will transfer that name to the disk device you specified when you
created the special warm boot monitor on the tape.
DISK ACCOUNTS
Disk accounts are an organizational feature your Alpha Micro computer uses to help you keep track of
your data. Instead of making you search through one enormous list of files for the specific one you're
looking for, the AMOS operating system groups files into "accounts."
Accounts are identified by a two part account number. The two numbers are separated by a comma and
enclosed in brackets. The first number is called the project number, the second part the programmer
number. [1,2], [200,0], and [34,11] are examples of account numbers. Since they are actually octal
numbers, the digits 8 and 9 aren't used. The highest possible number is [377,376] and the lowest is [1,0].
The two part structure of the account number allows you another level of organization. Besides grouping
files into accounts, you can group related accounts in the same project. For example, all accounts
containing files dealing with payroll may be in project 50 ([50,0], [50,1], etc.).
Accounts are called "disk accounts" because each account is specific to a particular device—usually a
disk. For example, you may have the account [63,1] on both DSK0: and DSK1:. Though these accounts
have the same account number, since they are on different devices they are different accounts, and
contain different files.
